Wyze Cam Review: This $20 Indoor Camera Is Worth Watching

Big Brother, are you watching? Probably. But at least now everyone can watch too — at an affordable cost.

Indoor camera and surveillance items have become increasingly popular in recent years, thanks to brands like Nest and Ring offering at-home products that don't require annoying setups and hefty monthly memberships. Those viral videos of pets doing stupid-cute things when their owners weren't looking probably helped fuel demand, too.

Enter: The Wyze Cam Indoor Camera. Not only is this option more affordable in comparison to the brands mentioned above, but the cam ranks among the top droplisted products this year. It's highly rated, especially on Amazon — but is the product actually helpful or all hype? Because not all reviews are real, we asked three people — a tech expert, proficient, and noob — to give us their honest thoughts on the Wyze Cam's setup process and functionalities in the video above. Then we provided our own thoughts down below. No matter where you land on the skill spectrum, you'll know if the item works for you.

The Breakdown

Cost: The price, which ranges from $20 to $25 (depending on seller), is competitive to say the least.

Design: Its sleek, minimalist design allows it to easily blend into a home environment. The camera, which is about 2 inches by 2 inches, is attached to an extendable base, which allows you to prop the camera up and swivel the head side to side. The product also comes with a magnet and attachable tape, in case you want to mount the camera to a wall or piece of furniture without losing your rental security deposit. Unlike the brand's Pan Cam, this iteration cannot be moved through remote connection.

Functionalities: You can watch a livestream through the Wyze app. Night vision and two-way audio (think: walkie-talkie status) make it the perfect system for pet or childcare surveillance. While the Alexa- and mobile-app-enabled functionalities make it very convenient to use, the motion and sound detection capabilities, which alert your phone if triggered, only record footage for 12-second bursts. So, if you're not already watching the livestream, the short recordings only provide a quick snapshot. However, with a MicroSD card (not included), you can record time lapses and store longer video playbacks. The camera also allows users to schedule events, so you can program when it should turn on and off. Speaking of powering on and off...

Concerns: Many existing reviews of the product warn that the camera may turn on and record when it's supposedly off, citing a privacy breach. However, the brand insists that all communication requests between the camera, your mobile device, and its AWS Cloud Server are encrypted and secure, according to the company's security and privacy policy. Is this a legitimate concern? Absolutely. Does it dissuade the average consumer? We asked our three reviewers if this was a major sticking point, which all three responded with more or less indifference. Their response: Anything with a camera — your phone, computer, etc. — could be spying on you.